Larus marinus

History:

• 1988-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
• 1994-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004)
• 2000-Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000)

Justification

This species has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000¿1,000,000 km². It has a large global population estimated to be 630,000-720,000 individuals (Wetlands International 2002). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Taxonomy

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001.

Physical Description

Family Laridae:

Medium to large birds, usually grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills, and webbed feet.

Images:

Distribution

Range and Population

North America; Caribbean

Diet

Mostly: Fish Carrion

Lesser Quantities of: Aquatic Invertebrates Birds Eggs

Reproduction

• Clutch Size: 2-3
• Length of Incubation: 26-29 days
• Days to Fledge: 49-56
• Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Most do not migrate

Song/Voice

Larus marinus
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: August 01, 1997 Location of Recording: Long Island

Larus marinus
Recordist: Tony Phillips Date Recorded: August 01, 1997 Location of Recording: Long Island

Similar Species

Adults and subadults older than one year are recognizable by their black mantle. All other gulls (including Lesser Black-backed Gulls) are paler backed. First-year birds are similar to other gulls in their first winter, but have very pale heads and breasts and strongly checkered upperparts, unlike any other species. First-year Lesser Black-backed Gulls are perhaps most similar in that they have white rumps and pale heads and breasts, but are very differently proportioned being smaller-billed and much longer-winged, and even smaller in size than a Herring Gull.

Members of the genus Larus:

There are approximately 188 species and subspecies in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: L. africilla (Laughing Gull) · L. argentatus (Herring Gull) · L. argentatus antelius · L. argentatus argentatus (Herring Gull) · L. argentatus argenteus · L. argentatus atlantis · L. argentatus birulae · L. argentatus cachinnans · L. argentatus drosti · L. argentatus heuglini · L. argentatus hueglini · L. argentatus michahelis · L. argentatus michahelles · L. argentatus michahellis · L. argentatus mongolicus · L. argentatus omissus · L. argentatus smithsonianus · L. argentatus ssp · L. argentatus thayeri · L. argentatus vegae · L. armenicus (Armenian Gull) · L. atlanticus (Olrog's Gull) · L. atricilla (Laughing Gull) · L. atricilla atricilla · L. atricilla megalopterus · L. audouinii (Audouin's Gull) · L. belcheri (Band-Tailed Gull) · L. belcheri atlanticus · L. belcheri belcheri · L. borealis · L. brachyrhynchus · L. brachyrhynchus (Red-Legged Kittiwake) · L. bridgesii · L. brunneicephalus · L. brunnicephalus (Brown-Headed Gull) · L. bulleri (Black-Billed Gull) · L. byperboreus · L. cachin · L. cachinnans (Yellow-Legged Gull) · L. cachinnans atlantis · L. cachinnans barabensis · L. cachinnans cachinanns · L. cachinnans cachinnans · L. cachinnans michahellis · L. cachinnans mongolicus · L. californicus (California Gull) · L. californicus albertaensis · L. californicus californicus · L. californicus ssp · L. canus (Mew Gull) · L. canus brachyrhynchus (Mew Gull) · L. canus canus (Mew Gull) · L. canus heinei (Mew Gull) · L. canus kamtschatschensis · L. capistratus · L. cirrhocephalus · L. cirrhocephalus cirrhocephalus · L. cirrocephalus (Grey-Headed Gull) · L. cirrocephalus cirrocephalus · L. cirrocephalus poiocephalus · L. crassirostris (Black-Tailed Gull) · L. delawarenis · L. delawarensis (Ring-Billed Gull) · L. delewarensis · L. dominicanus (Kelp Gull) · L. dominicanus austrinus · L. dominicanus dominicanus · L. dominicanus melisandae · L. dominicanus vetula · L. dominicanus vetula (Ivory Gull) · L. eburneus · L. elegans · L. franklerii · L. fuliginosus (Lava Gull) · L. furcatus (Swallow-Tailed Gull) · L. fuscus (Lesser Black-Backed Gull) · L. fuscus antelius · L. fuscus britannicus · L. fuscus fuscus (Lesser Black-Backed Gull) · L. fuscus graellsi · L. fuscus graellsii (Lesser Black-Backed Gull) · L. fuscus heuglini · L. fuscus intermedius · L. gelastes · L. genei (Slender-Billed Gull) · L. glaucescens (Glaucous-Winged Gull) · L. glaucescens californicus · L. glaucescens hybrid · L. glaucescens occidentalis · L. glaucescens x · L. glaucoides (Iceland Gull) · L. glaucoides glaucoides (Iceland Gull) · L. glaucoides kumlieni (Iceland Gull) · L. glaucoides thayeri (Iceland Gull) · L. glaucus · L. haematorhynchus · L. hartlaubi · L. hartlaubii (King Gull) · L. heermanni (Heermann's Gull) · L. heermanni heermanni

Bibliography

• Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
• BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
• Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
• Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CA L | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
• Translate this page using Google: Arabic | Chinese | Deutsch | Español | Français | Italiano | Japanese | Korean | Português

Notes

Contributors:

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 12, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 25 providers.

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 12, 2007:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds
• New Brunswick Museum, NBM birds
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
• The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx River Bioblitz
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Joint Nature Conservation Committee - Seabird 2000
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
• , Bird specimens
• University of Navarra, Museum of Zoology, Museum of Zoology, University of Navarra

Identifiers:

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 176815
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13810133
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNNM03210
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 7584